In the recent history of Europe the 9th of May is a landmark loaded with a special symbolism. First of all it is the official end of the Second World War, after the night of 8 to 9 May 1945 when in Berlin, the representatives of the Third Reich signed the unconditional surrender to the main Allied Powers. Five years later, on May 9, 1950, Robert Schuman, the French Foreign Minister uttered the declaration that made possible the Franco-German reconciliation and at the same time launched the process of the European construction. For the Romanian public consciousness these milestones of European history are added to the significance of the date of May 9, 1877 when the Romanian state's independence was proclaimed in the Parliament. On that occasion, the Foreign Minister Mihail Kogălniceanu celebrated this turning point for Romania's modern history uttering these words: "We are independent, we are a self-reliant nation."

Starting from these symbolic milestones, the Geopolitical and Geostrategic Centre within the RISE Department of UESEL will initiate a debate on current European issues. The ground of this debate will be offered by the conference held by Professor Gheorghe Stoica on "Perspectives for the European Union in the Context of Current International Relations." The students and teachers from RISE, ADA, LMA, Pedagogy departments, as well as the general public interested in this issue will have the opportunity to address questions to the lecturer and even to initiate new analysis perspectives on this topic.